The Marauders and the Bury St Edmunds witch trials
by Kimmimaru
Summary: The Marauders once again cause havoc, this time however they find themselves in 17th Century Suffolk during a mass trial of accused Witches!Planning a future overhaul of this story, please be patient.
1. Prologue

_Authors Note: Ok, first chapter of a new story! Hope you enjoy and please review! Thanks._

**The Marauders and the Bury St Edmunds witch trials**!

_A Tryal of Witches, at the Assizes held at Bury St. Edmonds for the county of Suffolk; on the tenth day of March, 1664. Before Sir Matthew Hale Kt. Then Lord Chief Baron of his Majesties court of EXCHEQUER. Taken by a perfon then attending the court._

"Oh...shit."

"Shit's right, mate."

"What have you _done_? I told you to leave it, didn't I? I asked you to put it down because it'd just get us into trouble and _now_ look!"

Sirius turned and I saw that grin on his face that always meant trouble. "No worries, Moony, we'll get back."

"How?" I asked slowly.

Sirius paused as he stared at the notice before us. "Uh..."

"We'll find a way." James said with a certainty I was unconvinced with.

"Yeah, we'll get out of here." Peter muttered in a voice that said he didn't believe his own words.

I scoffed sceptically and turned to look around us. We were standing in a small village, the houses were thatched and quaint looking and people wandered about wearing velvet, tunics and leggings. Their hats were large and flimsy and the women walked around in floor length skirts with aprons and baskets in their hands. I sighed heavily regretting ever following James earlier that day...

We had just finished our last lesson of the day and we had back packs filled to bursting with notes and homework, it was fifth year, which meant OWL's. I followed James and Sirius while I considered what I had to do when we got back to the common room, it took me too long to realise we were not going back to the room. I looked up in time to see the teacher's lounge. "Uh...guys, what are we doing here?" I asked nervously.

James and Sirius turned to face me, Peter hovered behind me. "We have decided to see for ourselves what the teachers get up to in here." They announced.

My jaw dropped. "Seriously? Do you know how much trouble you can get into for that? Come on, we've got homework!" I begged feebly.

Sirius sighed and patted me on the shoulder. "One of these days you will learn that using homework as a way to stop us doing something is bound to have the opposite effect." He said in a slow tone as if I was a stupid child.

"Indeed, we cannot now be held responsible for our actions, Moony. Whatever happens now is all your fault, and you are obliged to follow us and make sure we don't get killed." James grinned and pushed open the door.

I spent a few seconds nervously stood outside the office before suddenly sighing and stepping into the room. The room was comfy looking with desks, chairs and a wardrobe for cloaks. I saw Sirius and James looking around, rummaging through draws and generally messing everything up. They all had smiles of glee on their faces as they discovered parchment notes that teachers had confiscated or dodgy forbidden objects that they took great delight in trying to make work. I saw Peter laughing with them but noticed he seemed reluctant to involve himself in the actual ransacking of the teacher's lounge.

"Hey, hey!" Sirius said in a loud, triumphant voice. We all wondered over to look at the small shiny object in his fingers. "Jackpot!" He exclaimed and showed us his discovery.

"A time turner!" I exclaimed. "You need to put that back! It's illegal!"

Sirius looked at me with mock sympathy. "No can do, Moons." He said. "I have to see what it does, I'm too curious..."

James looked up eagerly. "Shall we try it? We can go back to professor Binns' class and interrupt it!"

"There are _rules_..." I said desperately but that gleam was in their eyes and I knew no matter what I did or said they'd go ahead with it anyway.

Before I knew what was happening the long chain was around all our necks and Sirius was turning the tiny hourglass. I watched the sand in horror as it went from one end to the next, over and over. "Wait...isn't that too far?" I asked nervously.

"I dunno...never used one." Sirius replied.

Suddenly I felt a weird sensation steel through my body and I shuddered. When I next opened my eyes we were stood before the notice board...

Somehow we had managed to end up in the sixteen hundreds. I turned, my hands clenched into fists at my sides and glared at Sirius and James who were looking around with mild interest. "What are you going to do to get us out of this?" I hissed through my teeth.

Sirius shrugged. "We'll come up with something mate, stop worrying and enjoy it! This is gunna beat Binns's boring lessons hands down! We can experience history first hand! Surely that's a brilliant way to learn?" he gazed at me and I felt my anger melt, he was right of course, there was no point worrying and it would be very interesting.

"But...what if we're caught! We...don't exactly fit in." I indicated our black school robes and watched their faces fall.

"Oh yeah..." James muttered lifting his sleeve. Suddenly his face broke into a grin and he turned to Sirius. "Padfoot, old buddy..." he began in that tone of voice that always heralded trouble. "What do you say to going to find us some more appropriate attire?"

"As you wish, oh great and fearless leader!" Sirius grinned and I saw his eyes move around the market square. Suddenly he paused and I saw him lift his arm. "Clothes in there, should be alright to sneak in, can't smell anyone around."

"Excellent!" James said and grabbed my wrist, I was dragged into the small store and we slipped easily through the place. I watched James and Sirius picking up clothes and laughing when they came across anything hideous. Finally we all snuck around the back of the shop and quickly changed. When I looked up after struggling to tie up my leggings I saw Sirius standing in the alley wearing white stockings with black velvet leggings, his doublet was also jest back and he had put on a weird hat. I burst into hysterics, unable to help myself.

"What?" He asked defensively as James too ended up laughing.

"You look like Guy Fawkes!" I giggled.

"Who?" Sirius asked in confusion.

"He was...a muggle...from around this period who tried to blow up the houses of parliament!" I gasped as the fit subsided.

"Oh...he sounds cool." I watched him grin.

"He was hung, his guts cut out of his body and then cut up into tiny pieces." I said and grinned when the smile was wiped from Sirius's face.

"Wow...Muggles can be really horrible!" Peter muttered, he was all in green and white, his trousers the kind that billowed out at the thighs and he had a high lace collar.

"So can we all, Worm." James said dramatically. He had chosen crimson so he looked like a Cardinal.

I wore a light blue outfit and felt very silly. I sighed heavily and my eyes landed on James. "Oh...You may have to take off those glasses!" I exclaimed.

"Why? If I do I won't be able to see!" He muttered.

"Well, they didn't have those kinds of glasses! Maybe we can get around it..." I sighed. "Well, let's go, maybe we can find a witch or wizard who can help us return to our own time..." I said miserably.

"Not yet!" Sirius exclaimed. "I wanna see some stuff first! I want to know what it was like to be persecuted by Muggles who had no idea just how ineffective their punishments were on real witches and wizards!" He hopped up and down slightly in excitement and I groaned. This was going to end in disaster!

"I agree with Padfoot!" James said solemnly. "It is our duty to learn as much as we can now that we're here. What about you, Worm?"

Peter nodded his head eagerly. "Whatever you want, Prongs!" He said excitedly.

"Awesome! Motion passed! The marauders stay in 1664!" Sirius said with a grin.

"Well, off we go then! Adventure, here we come!" James strode out of the Alleyway and I followed nervously, I had a bad feeling.

We stepped into the street and watched people going about their daily business. Suddenly James looked slightly uncertain, he was attracting rather a lot of attention. "Uh...What is it that fifteen year olds do in this age?" He muttered.

I sighed. "Not much...We're wearing pretty expensive clothes so I guess we could pass ourselves off as rich kids, which means home school. I suppose we have the run of the place..."

I watched in horror as James and Sirius laughed and ran off. I paused for a split second before following, Peter at my heels. We ran through the village gaining much unwanted attention and I watched Sirius come to a sudden halt as a horse drawn cart went by, he giggled and his hat was whipped off my the wind. I caught up with them and we began exploring, the shops were simple, small places that sold food, bread and cakes and others that sold essentials. The houses were small and thatched, I looked up at the windows and saw a woman holding a bucket, I saw Sirius directly beneath it and dived forward, pushing my friend out the way just as a stream of pungent water fell from the window and landed across the cobbles. Sirius stood and helped me to my feet, he brushed himself down and turned to look at the waste. His face turned into a mask of disgust. "Muggles are definitely weird." I muttered as he straightened out his doublet.

"Ew! Is that what I think it is?" James asked as he pulled a face.

"Yes." I replied.

"Is that piss?" Pete covered his nose and choked on the smell.

"'Fraid so, Wormy." Sirius said and his rose so he stared up at the woman who had thrown it. He glared. "Oi! Be careful next time, you stupid cow!" He called up.

"Sirius!" I moaned as the woman looked down at him with an odd look.

"I beg pardon, good lad?" She asked slowly.

Sirius frowned. "Oh, I forgot." He cleared his throat and I felt heat colour my cheeks, he was going to do something stupid. "Dear woman, doest thou have eyes?" he snapped angrily. "If so, watch where thou throw thy foul waste!"

The woman look shocked but her eyes scanned our clothes and she bobbed in an awkward kind of curtsy. "I beg thy pardon! Mine eyes were elsewhere." She bobbed again.

Sirius watched her imperiously, I found myself unwillingly impressed but not altogether surprised, he acted like royalty at school, why should the 1600's be any different? "I am sated, good mistress. Pray thou watches or gives warning when next thou sends filth out of thy window."

"I am at my most sorriest, Little sir." She withdrew and closed the window.

Sirius grinned and James clapped him on the back. "Apparently we have a royal in our midst!" He said with a chuckle.

We moved on and as we walked around, exploring this new and fascinating world we saw strange sights and even stranger people. As evening dawned I nearly walked into the back of Sirius, he was staring down a dark alleyway, his eyes two narrowed grey slits. I followed his gaze and saw a shadow moving, my hand disappeared into my pocket and I gripped my wand. The shadow moved closer and revealed itself to be a man dressed in robes of purple. His long hair trailed down his back beneath a pointed hat. He looked at us from beneath long grey eyebrows, his cold dark eyes narrowed. "You there!" He said suddenly. "I know what you are..." His voice was low and we all looked at each other. "I can see the magic in you, now come, follow me...boys such as you should not go wandering off." He beckoned and we followed slowly, not really trusting the man but having very little choice.

We shared a wary glance as we followed the man through a maze of side alleys. Suddenly he stopped and we watched him remove a rather long wand from his pocket, he pointed it at an apparently blank wall and suddenly it opened up to expose a whole street full of people in robes. We looked at each other and sighed in relief before following the man through the hole. As we walked he spoke. "Well, I don't suppose you can tell me where you came from?" He asked jovially.

"Er..." I began but was cut off my Sirius.

"You know we're not from around here?" I asked.

"Of course! Just look at what you're wearing! No wizard will willingly don Muggle clothing! We avoid them like the plague!"

"Hang on...you're talking normally...does that mean you're from a different time as well?" James asked as he caught up with the man's long strides.

"Time?" He shot a suspicious glance at us. "Are you telling me you're from another time? As in...from the future?"

James nodded. "Yeah, we were messing around and now we're stuck."

"Well, well...this is most interesting! I shall take you to the Ministers Assistant and he will know what to with you..."

"So uh...what's your name?" Sirius asked as he dodged an angry old woman who nearly knocked into him.

"Angus." The man said. "Angus Drewett. And your names are?" the man eyed us carefully.

"James Potter, at you service!" James said with a grin.

"Remus Lupin." I said slowly.

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Sirius Black." At that the man came to an abrupt halt, he turned and gaped at Sirius who stood up straight and looked suddenly wary.

"You are a Black?" he muttered.

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Oh...Oh dear..." he seemed to shrink and Sirius raised an eyebrow. "This...this is most unexpected...to be in the presence of someone so...so great..." His eyes darted up and down the street as he rubbed his palms together nervously. "Well...All the more reason to get you to our Minister..." he turned and continued on.

Sirius's face darkened. "Can't get away from it." He muttered. "Go back in time and it's the same thing... 'Oh, you're a Black? Then I must bow and scrape at your feet!' Disgusting."

James snorted laughter. "It can't be all that bad, I mean, maybe we can get back to our time quicker this way?"

"I'd rather stay here than use my name to get me things." Sirius said roughly.

"Aw, come on, you don't even know what your ancestors are gunna be like! Chill out." James tried to calm him down but Sirius was having none of it, he muttered darkly to himself all the way to the small building at the end of the street.

We stopped outside it and Angus knocked, the door opened with a creak and we were ushered inside. We saw a magically enlarged building, huge rooms stretched impossibly onwards and the ceiling was high above our heads. We were guided over to a man sat behind an important looking desk, he had a black quill in his hand and was writing something. As we approached he looked up, he had a small pair of spectacles perched on his nose and he scowled at us. "Yes?" he asked querulously.

"Uh...These boys here...they...er...want to see the Minister." Angus's eyes darted around the place nervously, I didn't like the terror on his face.

"The minister has no time to be seeing young ruffians! Now, get out of my sight, Angus before I hex you!" He waved his hand imperiously.

"No, you don't understand, sir..." he took a long look back at Sirius who sighed. "That boy there, his name is...Black."

The man dropped his quill. He looked into Sirius's eyes and his own narrowed. "Come here." He said and beckoned. Sirius stepped closer and the man grabbed his face, turning him from side to side and humming. "Yes, yes, he does have the traits...Indeed...What is your name?"

"Sirius Orion Black." He snapped suddenly and stepped back. I watched in shock as he slapped the man's hand away. "How dare you touch me so familiarly!" he said in a commanding voice. James hid his smirk behind his hand.

The man looked shocked but then he sat down, "Of course, good sir...I am most humbly apologetic! Please, forgive me." He bowed low.

Sirius put on a sneer I was sure his family would be proud of. "I will decide on whether I forgive you, when you have shown my friends and I to the minister!"

"As you wish, please be patient while I attend to this at once." The man, looking mollified, jumped down from his desk and scuttled off.

Sirius sagged slightly. "Ugh...just kill me now! I feel dirty..."

"That was amazing!" James exclaimed. "You're very good at being Nobel!"

"Pfft. Yeah, more like being a stuck up prat." Sirius said but I saw the corners of his mouth twitch up into a tiny smile.


	2. Chapter 1

_Authors Note: Ok, I hope people are reading this! If you are, please be so kind as to leave a review! Thanks!_

Chapter one

A few minutes later and the man came scurrying back. He bowed low. "The Minister will see you." He said softly.

We were guided into a room just off the large hall. It was an office, a desk sat at one end with a pot of ink and a quill, the large chair was empty. There was a window that looked out over the busy streets and across the small village right towards the acres of farmland. I saw a tall figure stood there, his arms firmly behind his back. He had long jet black hair that came to his shoulders, his robes were the finest velvet and a dark red, the colour of blood. "Well come, travellers." He said in a sonorous voice that made the tightness of worry in my gut turn to fear. "William, you may leave us now."

"As you wish." The small secretary muttered with a low bow, he turned and scurried off.

Slowly the man turned and I felt my jaw drop, it was surreal. I was looking at an older version of Sirius. The man had a slightly receding hairline and his hair was tucked neatly behind his ears, it looked as if he'd oiled it. He had a moustache and his eyes were so grey they were almost silver. His eyes landed on Sirius who was watching him with clenched hands. "Ah, you must be the one who claims to be a Black." The man said slowly. "You will understand, of course, if I am suspicious of this claim." He moved with the liquid grace of a cat, his steps sure and firm as he stood before Sirius. "My name is..."

"Cepheus Black..." Sirius muttered, his eyes were hard and cold, like steel.

"Indeed...It seems that if you speak the truth you know your family well." He moved around to his desk and drew out a long wand, it was strange looking as if he'd just plucked it right off the tree without treating it at all. He lifted it slowly and before I could speak, Sirius had his own wand in his hand and he was glaring at the man before him.

"Speak and I'll curse you!" Sirius hissed.

James watched the exchange with narrowed eyes, he had one hand in his own pocket where I knew he was gripping his wand. I too had a hand on mine. Peter looked terrified and more than a little bit excited, his eyes moved from one to the other rapidly as if following a muggle tennis game. "S-Sirius..." I muttered, a low warning in my voice.

"Very well..." The man lowered his wand, he was smiling coldly. "You have good reactions, but that wand is strange...I have never seen one made like that before."

"That's because we're not from around here." James said slowly. He stood close to Sirius, probably so he could be at his side if we did end up having to fight. "We told that man out there, Angus, that we're from the future."

Cepheus Sneered. "That man is a half blood...I would stay away from him if I were you." Sirius twitched slightly but made no move to draw his wand. "Now then, I believe you when you say you're from the future, it is plausible considering your unfortunate taste in clothes. I will get someone to bring you fresh garments, but first I will need to confirm your blood status..."

James and I glanced at each other and I felt dread seep through me. My blood was pretty impure even without the fact that I wasn't entirely human. I took a deep breath and returned my gaze to the man before us. "How will you test us?" I asked nervously.

"There is a spell that will allow me to look into each of your minds, just sit in this chair and it will be quick and painless." He indicated a large wooden chair before his desk. "Sirius will go first." I watched my friend sit down, his head held high and he sat as if he was in throne. The Minister raised his wand and spoke softly. "Legilimens."

Sirius tensed, his fingers going white on the chair arms and I stepped back. James was at my side and he put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it to give me silent comfort.

Finally the man lifted his wand and raised an eyebrow. "You come from a strange world." He said slowly. His eyes met Sirius's who stared back haughtily. "So, you really do hail from the future..." he mused. "And you are one of my descendants...how...fascinating. I am disappointed..." His voice went soft, silky and I felt a shiver of foreboding. "You do not share this family's views on the purity of blood?"

Sirius kept silent, and I was glad because he had a tendency to speak his mind and get himself into trouble. "Our world is...different." James said slowly.

"And how pure are you?" Cepheus asked.

"Pure blood." James said firmly.

"Good, good." His eyes met Peter's. "And you, boy?"

"P-Pure..." he squeaked nervously, his blue eyes darting around in fear.

I felt the Ministers gaze on me and I straightened my back, my hands clenching at my sides. "What about this one?"

"Half-blood." I said with as much pride as I could muster.

I saw the sneer, so reminiscent of Sirius's that I was slightly taken aback. I kept my face neutral, if I had lied he would have found out. It was best I spoke the truth...it would mean disaster if I was to have my mind broken into. No one could find out I was a Werewolf, better that they hate me for my mixed blood. I could feel James and Sirius's eyes on me, they were concerned but I couldn't let them know I was alright, if I broke eye contact it may end in disaster. "You should be on the streets..." The Minister began. "On the streets cleaning boots..."

"Hey!" Sirius got to his feet, I could feel the fury radiating from him and I grabbed his arm, yanking him roughly back.

"No. Leave it!" I snapped.

Sirius looked at me and we shared a silent communication, suddenly he deflated with a sigh. "Fine."

"Now, I will have William show you where you will be staying and I will have some fresh clothes be brought to you." Cepheus walked to the door. "It is a good thing you came today, I am normally in London but because of these trials I must attend and make sure nothing untoward happens." He opened the door and spoke quietly to William. I shared a nervous glance with my friends and Sirius still had that look of complete hatred as he stared at the Cepheus's back. Finally the Minister turned back to us. "If you have a problem please notify my secretary here and he will do everything he can to help..." His eyes landed on me and I saw the ghost of a sneer. I felt a shudder run down my spine but refused to give him the pleasure of making me look away, I kept my head up and looked him directly in the eyes. A small smile graced his face and he finally turned away. "If that is all I will see you soon."

William guided us out of the house and back into the street. We followed him in silence as he led us to a small dingy house that looked neglected, its thatch was rotting and the scent of it made me pull a face as he opened the small door and let us in. Sirius stepped in through the door and his eyes scanned the place, I saw his distaste as he turned and looked at William who was almost cowering. "You call this place somewhere fit for people to live in?" He said with a sneer.

"It is all we have...sir." William said nervously.

Sirius sighed and searched the place with his eyes. "I suppose it will do...Tell Cepheus that I expected better treatment..." With that he strode through the door without a second glance. Peter followed and I saw his look of disgust. I stepped in behind him and my eyes widened, the place consisted of one big room, straw covered the dirt floor and it had the definite smell of animals. I covered my overly sensitive nose and pulled a face, I kept reminding myself that this was only temporary.

When we were inside William closed the door and I heard him mutter the locking spell. I spun on my heels and hammered on it. "Hey! Hey! You can't lock us in! It's not fair!" I shouted.

"You must be kept in here until the time of the trials." William's nervous voice drifted through the wood. "Cepheus has asked that you be tried before the Muggles for witchcraft, this will save many lives of innocent witches and wizards...we cannot have you running about and spreading nonsense about equality. I'm very sorry."

"You what?" James said, he looked angry. "How can you have us killed in place of others? We haven't done anything to you! We just want to get back to our own time!"

"I'm sorry...there's nothing I can do...especially since you're friends with a werewolf..."

My body went cold. "Y-You...knew?" I gasped, my wide eyes fixed on the door.

"Yes, we found it in the Black boy's mind..." William sounded worried.

I turned to Sirius who looked aghast. "I didn't...I didn't mean to..." he muttered. "He...he took it from me! I couldn't stop it! Moons...I'm sorry!"

I shook my head slowly and took a deep breath. "It's fine, Sirius." I said firmly. "I know you're not an Occlumens." An idea formed in my head and I felt a strong sense of determination, I glared at the door. "If I were to hand myself in willingly...would the minister consider allowing my friends to go free and return?" I said.

"Moony!" James gasped.

"No!" Sirius sounded angry. "No...We're not letting you..."

"Quiet!" I snapped and sent them a glare. "Just let me do this! I owe you...I owe you everything! You've been the best friends I could have asked for, so please...let me return the favour in the only way I can! Let me save your lives like you have mine!" I looked at each of my friends in turn, James looked ill, Sirius was white with anger and Peter looked shaken.

"I...Will have to ask..." William said slowly. "I'll return with his answer."

"Thank you." I muttered and took a shaky breath as his footsteps died away. James grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me roughly, hair fell into my eyes and I grabbed his wrists.

"What the hell was that?" He said furiously.

"That is the only way we can get away!" I replied. "James...You're my best friends...all of you! I refuse to let you die just because you are associated with me! Why should we all die...when only one of us needs to?" Nerves twisted my stomach as my mind ran through all the horrible ways in which Wizards had been persecuted by Muggles. I swallowed and James released me, I slid to the floor and curled up in a ball. "I'm sorry...for getting you all into this situation..." I whispered to my knees.

"No!" Sirius said in a loud voice. "I'm not letting this happen...I'll find a way out even if it kills me! Hang in there...I...I will find a way." He was pale but determined, I lifted my head and smiled up at him weakly.

"Thanks..." I muttered, glad that he was willing to use his blood status to save me, even if it did disgust him.

"I'll try and convince the Minister." He said firmly. "I-I'll...have to do some acting...but, please, don't hate me." He looked at each of us and I nodded firmly. James smiled slightly and Pete nodded eagerly. Sirius then began pacing, his brow furrowed. "Right...If I know my family, then I'll have to try and convince him I'm reformed...which means..." he glanced at us nervously. "I'm gunna have to abandon you guys...for now."

"I'll join you." James said suddenly. "I can act just fine when I want to, and it's best we don't split up completely."

Sirius nodded reluctantly, his expression was pained and I knew he despised what he was going to do. "O-ok...Well, when someone comes to give us some new clothes I guess we'll talk to them..." he took a shuddery breath and pulled himself upright. "Well, I guess I'll have to rely on my upbringing after all..." He laughed weakly and threw himself down on the straw covered floor. He stared at his knees in silence and James sat at his side and stared up at the ceiling. Peter paced for a while, I could see his eyes darting around the small area and suddenly he stopped.

"Uh...Guys?" He muttered, his voice bordering on excitement.

"What is it, worm?" James asked.

"There's a gap...down there." He pointed at a hole in the wall. I stood and walked over to it, it was tiny but just may be big enough to... "I can get through it." He muttered, his eyes meeting James's who looked jubilant. "I can transform and escape...I might be able to bring back help!"

"Brilliant!" James surged to his feet and embraced Peter roughly, when he stepped back he slapped him on the arm. "Just make sure no one sees you change! No one can know that we're Animagi."

Peter nodded and smiled weakly before suddenly shrinking. Soon a small, tatty looking rat sat where Peter had been moments before. He squeaked and turned for the hole. I watched his tail flick and disappear from sight. Now we had two options, if one failed, surely the other wouldn't?


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter two

The wait was almost intolerable. I got so frustrated I began pacing, Sirius was slumped against one wall, his head bowed and one knee drawn into his chest so that his arm rested across it. James was lying on his back on a horrible scratchy blanket we'd managed to find, he frowned up at the damaged roof, his glasses slightly askew and his arms cushioning his head. I took out my wand and began tapping it against one of my palms, suddenly James made me jump by speaking.

"Remus!" He gasped and sat up, his eyes wide. "Do we even know the full moon cycle?"

I froze. "I..." My eyes drifted to the shafts of light streaming through a gap in the thatch. "Oh..." I said softly. "I have no idea..."

"If no one comes 'till night..." Sirius said in a hoarse kind of voice. I looked at him with eyes full of terror.

"I'll hurt them!" I said slowly, fear rising rapidly and turning into blind panic. "What if I escape?"

"We won't let that happen." James said firmly, he stood and grabbed my shoulders, I looked into his hazel eyes and saw his determination. "Even if they do discover we're Animagi, we'll protect them from you! That's what we're here for, Moony."

I swallowed the terror in my throat and nodded slowly. "Yeah...I...I guess..." I knew I was unable to pass on my Lycanthropy when my friends were in animal form, it was something that only effected humans. However, I could still injure them. I felt sick every time I even considered the possibility of hurting my friends, but none of them seemed to worry about it. For the past two months we had been changing in the Shrieking shack, the first time I had them with me was the best time of my life! Their presence kept me sane, I was in perfect control of the wolf and when we went into the forest I was so exhilarated!

For years the Full moon held such terror for me it was almost unbearable. I was forced to be locked away, all alone and full of such terrifying animalistic violence that I inflicted horrible wounds on myself, tearing at my own flesh and screaming. I would wake up in the hospital wing the next day covered in fresh bandages and knowing I had just added to the scars that covered my body. Madam Pomfrey was always there to try and comfort me, but I was beyond help. I became so depressed I couldn't even handle it when someone so much as mentioned Werewolves, even in passing. Then my friends discovered the truth, they followed me one night and saw me change. I was distraught, knowing that they'd abandon me, but the next day they visited me in the hospital wing and sat around my bed. Sirius had said that my condition was kind of cool, I couldn't have disagreed more. James meanwhile had a thoughtful frown on his face and suddenly suggested that they help me. That was when the idea of them becoming Illegal Animagi came about, I was so grateful I nearly cried. My life just got better, the full moon was no longer a time of terror and pain, it was almost easy to change and be surrounded by my friends. They have become my Pack, and I would die for them.

As I stared into James's intense face I felt a small smile curl my lips and I shook my head. "Sometimes I wonder if guys are entirely sane..." I muttered. "No normal person would want hang out every month with a Werewolf."

James shrugged casually and released me. "Well, I guess that means we all should be locked up securely in St. Mungos!" He grinned and I chuckled.

"Yup, a good course of serious shock therapy for us." Sirius agreed with a wide smile that revealed his unnaturally sharp canine teeth. "There is obviously some severe damage to our heads, we can't possibly be hanging around with you because we like you! That would just be absurd!"

I began to feel a little bit more relaxed and I sighed, James smiled at me and leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. "Everything will work out, Moons. You'll see."

"I wish I could have your confidence." I muttered, I ran fingers through my dull brown hair. My eyes closed and I waited for the night to come. My body was buzzing, I could feel the tidal-like pull and knew it was to be a full that night. I opened my eyes and sighed. "Promise me...you won't let me hurt anyone!" I whispered desperately.

"We swear, Moony." Sirius said slowly, he swept fingers through his long dark hair. I had always been somewhat jealous of him, he had this amazing aura of dark mystery, something I could never pull off. His hair was thick and long, his eyes dark grey and his smile full of an attractive mix of confidence and arrogance. Everything he did he managed to make look elegant, even if it was merely walking down the streets. He was a massive hit with the women, even James spent time complaining about it when Sirius returned late at night with lipstick on his collar and a grin on his face. He was also extremely talented, I had to work hard to become good at something and although this never bothered me, when I saw Sirius lazing in the sun in the common room while all the other Fifth years were working I felt a pang of jealousy. James was similar in this respect, he managed to pull off amazing grades with hardly any work, the teachers moaned that they should both be working harder but when they saw their practice tests they were usually astounded.

James returned to his spot on the floor and sat there for a while. He too was brilliant, if not quite as good looking as Sirius, he had a charm and cheekiness that attracted his fair share of girls. He was tall and skinny but his reflexes were second to none, his Quidditch practices had wrought a change in physique, he had more muscle, his arms and chest more defined than they had been and he was the best flyer at school. He was chaser and probably the fastest member of the Gryffindor team, he was responsible for most of our goals.

Me, on the other hand, I am smaller than the other two. My hair is a boring kind of brown and it hangs in my eyes quite often, allowing me to hide when I need to. I'm skinny and very bookish, I don't have the confidence the other two have when it comes to women, mainly because I'm terrified they'll work out what I am and spread the word all through school...and that would destroy me.

Peter was the tag along, he seems to seek out the most powerful people in school, which just so happen to be Sirius and James, and he follows them. We accepted him into our group because we felt sorry for him, but eventually James began to enjoy his company and he slipped easily into our group. He is useful, as he seems to know some of the most private gossip and he makes a good spy, because mostly people tend to ignore him. He's small and a bit weak, but he is loyal to James for the kindness he's shown him.

Together we make up, what Sirius has affectionately named us, the marauders. Our peers tend to spend a lot of time avoiding us in the corridors because James has a tendency to hex anyone he encounters, just for a laugh. We have developed a dark kind of glamour, people want to be our friends and James and Sirius are well liked, even by the teachers. It's nice...It's the best feeling in world to feel wanted. Even though the other two tend to do things I disprove of, I'm really too afraid to stop them...I don't want to lose what I have.

Later, as evening falls I begin to feel that horrible creeping sensation across my skin. I shuddered and my eyes met James and Sirius's, they nodded to reassure me. I couldn't help but return their smiles. I took a deep breath and waited, my eyes glued to the little beam of crimson sunlight on the floor. Slowly, the sun sank...


	4. Chapter 3

_Authors not: hope everyone's enjoying this one! Please, please review! Much appreciated! Oh and I've just been reading about how Harry potter is the path to Hell! Hahaha! That is a laugh! People really need to get a life!_

Chapter three

That night is little more than a blur, an overload of the senses. I remember odd flashes, half formed images in my mind that make little sense. I see Sirius, in his dog form, jumping around me madly as he tries to get me to play with him. I see James pacing back and forth, uncomfortable in the small space. I feel Sirius's tongue on my ears and try and shake him off, but he's having none of it.

Then I see flashes of red. Crimson. Yelps of pain. I can't think properly anymore...the scent of blood is driving me insane!

Slowly my eyes open, it's bright and I can hardly see as the sunlight blinds me. I groan heavily and it comes out sounding too much like a growl. I have yet to return to being fully human, the wolf lingers. I stretch languidly, I can feel the comforting warmth of my friends bodies as they lay at my sides. Slowly I roll onto my side and see Sirius watching me from heavily lidded eyes, I can see the silvery grey irises beneath his black eyelashes. I can also see a long scratch down his face, blood still oozes sluggishly from it. He smiles at me, a grin full of sleepy roguishness. "Mornin'..." he mutters. I can't stop staring at the blood trickling down his cheek, my eyes follow its progress down his neck and I see more scratches, small at first but getting deeper as they travel down his body. The scent of blood surrounds me until it consumes my senses, driving me into an odd half transformed state. He's topless, revealing the full extent of the damage, it doesn't seem to bother him that he's wounded, or that the wounds were caused by his best friend. I move before my human mind can even think about what I'm doing, I may be crossing some kind of invisible barrier but I can't stop myself...

I roll him onto his back and hold his head still by grabbing a handful of his thick dark hair, I pull it roughly backwards and use my tongue to begin cleaning the wounds I had created. He winces but makes no other movement as I clean him, It's my way of making it up...it's the only way I can apologise for turning on him. I can feel his fingers resting gently on my side, his chest moves beneath me as he breathes and I pull away when I feel his chest hitch slightly. I see an odd look cross his face, a small thoughtful frown creases his brow and he gazes up at me with eyes that shouldn't be that dark...I can't look away from him, my fingers are still tangled in his hair and I can't let go. The room seems suddenly too hot, I know all I'm wearing is rags, my body showing through the torn cloth. Sirius's eyes travel from mine and slip down my body, his gaze so intense I can feel it. I shudder and feel heat suffuse my cheeks, I can't help but follow the progress of his tongue as he wet's his lips hungrily. I'm stuck. If I move he looks as if he's going to eat me alive, but I don't want to move...I don't want to escape that amazingly intense stare.

Suddenly there's movement from our side, both of us snap our eyes to James who sits up rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Mmm...Morning you two." He said casually, his eyes linger on us for a second before he stands. "You know..." he began as he lifted his arms above his head with a small grin. "You should get a room...preferably one I'm not in."

My face goes crimson. I jerk away from Sirius and stand up, my clothes hang in tatters and I try and cover myself up as best I can. Sirius chuckles and stands slowly, his dark hair tangled around his face and his eyes shining in the early morning sunlight. "Ah...Moony, looks like we're out the closet now!" He laughed, that short, sharp bark that always made me smile.

"Shut up!" I said, trying to sound angry and failing. We had been caught in questionable positions like that before now, for some reason I had a stronger connection to Sirius than either of the other two...maybe because we were Canine? I don't know. Then my eyes landed once again on Sirius's scratches, he smiled at me.

"Wasn't your fault." He said firmly. "I got a bit carried away and you put me firmly back in my place...stop worrying about it."

I nodded but still felt guilty. I had wounded him before and he always brushed it off, pain hardly seemed to bother him and I realised it was because he was probably beaten by his parents, although James and I had had discussions about the mysterious bruises and faded wounds that ended up all over his body after the summer holidays, we had yet to ask him outright about it. He was always reluctant to speak of his home, we tried to avoid the subject to save him from potential pain but I was curious. What really went on in his house? Why did he always have that dark look of hatred on his face when he encountered a member of his family? These were questions I avoided asking.

Peter returned later that morning. He scurried through the hole and returned to his human shape, his watery blue eyes were glowing with pride and he was grinning happily. "I found some people who can help us!" He exclaimed. "They're three witches, they found me when I was trying to get some food and they knew I wasn't really a rat, so I transformed back and spoke to them! They said they could help get us back to our own time as long as we can get out of here!"

I beamed at him, the surge of relief was inexpressible. "Brilliant!" I said.

"But how are we supposed to get out?" Sirius asked, he sat in a corner, his legs crossed and his back against the wall.

"They said they'd bring us some robes, didn't they?" James asked as he began pacing. We all nodded. "Then...if we time it right, as soon as they open that door we can gang up on them! They're underestimating us because we're young...maybe we can use that to our advantage?" He looked around at us all.

"Yes, but what if they bring guards?" I asked uncertainly.

"We'll have to be fast...stun them or something and then escape." James replied.

I saw Sirius looking around at the walls, suddenly he stood and began walking around, his eyes scanning the worn plaster. Then he turned with a grin. "Or we could blast our way free?"

I shook my head. "They've probably put up enchantments, it must be a regular place for them to store criminals temporarily. I think...that maybe James has the right idea, we need to surprise them, take them off guard plus I need more clothes." I muttered indicating my tattered clothing.

So it was decided, we would gang up on our captors and go and see these witches. Time passed and I ended up drowsing, Sirius sat at my side and I leaned on him while my eyes closed. I woke suddenly to the sound of the door being opened, I jerked to my feet beside my friends and we had our wands in our hands. All four of us took aim at the door and waited, slowly it opened...

"STUPEFY!" We chorused, in perfect time. Four stunners shot straight from our wands and hit the three people who stepped over the thresh hold. They collapsed in a heap. Quickly we dragged them inside and stashed them in the corner, one of them was the secretary. Sirius found the pile of robes and handed a set to me, I pulled them on quickly as the others did the same. The robes were pale grey, and I had a sudden, horrible thought...they reminded me too much of the one's they put on criminals in Azkaban. I shivered at the thought and turned to see James and Sirius frowning at each other.

"They were gunna throw us to the Dementors!" Sirius hissed angrily.

"Well, it's a good job they thought we were weaker than we are." James replied firmly. "Come on, let's get going!"

We followed James cautiously out into the sunlit streets, our eyes darted around nervously as we slipped into the shadows of a nearby house. "So, Worm, where are these witches?" I whispered.

Peter pointed to our left and led us through the winding streets. We avoided people as best we could, we stood out far too much to risk showing ourselves. Suddenly Peter stopped before an old looking doorway, we heard the sudden, loud cawing of a crow and I looked up. I could see it sitting on a window ledge and eyeing us beadily. It cawed again and Peter knocked. James and Sirius stood at our backs, their wands pointed in opposite directions and I could hear their ragged breathing. Suddenly the door creaked open seemingly of its own accord, I stared into the shadowy hall way and we looked at each other for a second before stepping into the cool house.

The first thing that hit me was the scent of candle wax, I could hear a soft bubbling noise coming from a door to our right and I pushed it open gently.

"Welcome young strangers..." The voice was ancient sounding, a cracked cackle soon followed and I shared a trepid glance with Sirius who shrugged. "Come, come...sit yourselves down. You are safe here."

The room was dark except for the odd flicker of purple flames beneath a huge cauldron of shimmering potion. I could see three shadows all stood around it, one was tall and as the light hit it I felt all the breath leave my lungs. She was beautiful, she had long dark hair and eyes that were a perfect shade of violet, her face was young and her robes a soft shade of mauve that made her eyes all the more potent. I heard Sirius catch his breath and glanced at him, his eyes were wide as he looked at the stunning woman and I felt a surge of jealousy but pushed it aside. "Welcome, My name is Anahita, and these are my sisters..." She indicated an ancient old crone, her back so bent she looked a little like a fairy tale witch created by Muggle authors. "Arachne and..." The next woman was also old, but not bent and shrivelled like the other. Her face was stern. "Astraea."

"We are glad to have such fine visitors..." the crone croaked, she grinned and revealed a set of teeth that were almost black. "We know who you all are, of course. The young man there..." She pointed at James and her grin widened. "Your legacy is well known among us seers..." She cackled at James's shocked and confused expression. "Of Love and Pain...your fate has been decided!" Her laughter echoed around the small room, I couldn't stop the shivers as they coursed up my spine.

The youngest of them moved forward gracefully and stood before Sirius who watched her carefully, I could see the silver light of the potion reflected in his eyes. "And this one...Sirius Orion Black...a darkness surrounds you..." She began circling him slowly, her odd eyes moving up and down as he watched her. "A darkness so deep that it borders on insanity...You're not at all what you seem to be. A beast disguised as a human..." She laughed, a sound so chilling I wrapped my arms around myself.

"What are you...?" Sirius began but he fell silent as the woman pressed a finger to his lips.

"Hush, we will allow speech in good time." She smiled.

The third woman stepped up to me. "We cannot forget the little wolf cub." She said with a nasty grin. "Such sadness...such loneliness...you have much to give to the world, young one, but it will cost you dearly. The last one, the one who is left behind...you will find what it is you search most desperately for, but at great cost and only a little while before that heart..." She pressed her bony hand to my chest and I couldn't move, my heart speeded up and my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "...stops beating."

Then all three of them turned to Peter, we watched as they all circled him. He looked scared witless. "The darkness will strangle this one..." The youngest woman said softly.

"He will be bound by a code of honour so ancient it surpasses time..." The second oldest said.

"And that will be his undoing." The crone finished with an evil cackle. "Watch for the silver noose, Wormtail."

They turned to face us all and spoke as one: "The bond of friendship is weakest at times of unrest, love is the conqueror of all, however, its weakness lies in the sharp edge of mistrust. That knife will sever any bonds, leaving nothing but grief and chaos behind." Their eyes focussed on me and Sirius. "Friendship and Love is only as strong as the will behind it, look out for the disease of Paranoia, it will take you when you least suspect it..." At this they looked directly at Sirius who stared back with wide eyes, I saw something like fear stir behind them. "Beware the curse of misplaced trust, young man. Do not let it lead you astray."

Finally the tension in the room eased and I let out a slow sigh. The women stood by their cauldron stirring its contents as if nothing had even happened. I realised I was shaking, but I wasn't the only one. Wormtail was shuddering so violently he looked as if he was going to collapse. James helped him to keep his feet by holding him upright. Sirius was staring into space and it took us a while to make him snap out of his trance, when he did he jumped visibly and looked around us all as if he hadn't even realised we there. I could see how pale e was in the shimmering light and felt my own fear tighten my belly painfully, I grimaced and turned back to the three strange seers.

"So...you wish to return home?" The crone whispered.

"Yes! If you can help us..." James began, but he was cut off as the youngest woman lifted her head.

"We can, but not yet. We must prepare, for the spell to return you whence you came is difficult and must need time..."

"Now...leave us...we must prepare, return three days hence and we will be ready." The third witch said.

"But...We have nowhere to go!" Peter said, panic evident in his voice.

"Go to the cottage that bears the black mark, there you will find sanctuary...however..." All three of them looked directly at me and I felt fear make breathing difficult. "You must 'ware the day moon...it will lead to tragedy."

"D-Day moon?" I asked slowly, my eyes flicking from one person to the next. "What...what does that mean?"

"When the moon reaches its fullest, it will shine without night. The sun overpowers the glow, but the strength is the same. 'Ware the day moon, child."

I swallowed the painful lump in my throat and nodded. "Wait...what would happen to him?" James asked and I jumped, I hadn't noticed him stood behind me. He had his hands firmly on my shoulders.

"He must lock himself away!" the women said in unison. "His friends will be in grave peril if they do not secure him! Now...leave us!" They lifted their arms and I found myself feeling extremely dizzy, I almost fell but strong arms caught me. When I opened my eyes again I realised we were stood outside, no sign of the old door or the crow existed.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter four

I was being held up by Sirius, he had one arm around my chest and he held it there slightly longer than necessary. I managed to get my feet back under me and I looked around at my friends who were blinking in the light, James's glasses were askew and he straightened them while leaning against the wall. "Well...that was...er...different." he muttered and straightened himself out.

"Shall we get going?" Sirius muttered. He was pale and didn't look too good, but I didn't mention it.

We stepped out into the quiet street, our eyes flicking left and right as we crept through the shadows. Our hands all gripped our wands so tightly our knuckles were white, I could hear Peter's soft footsteps and James and Sirius's firmer ones, they walked ahead of me with Pete behind and we kept as quiet as possible.

The houses got smaller, less sanitary. I could smell the distinctive scent of rotting filth and waste, it nearly made me gag. I covered my nose with the sleeve of my robes and followed Sirius's back. As we turned a corner I froze. My eyes widened as I felt an awfully familiar feeling steal through me. All the hairs on my body stood on end and I slowly let my hand fall to my side, I reached out and grabbed Sirius, yanking him backwards and into a wall. James heard the scuffle and turned around. I could smell them, like so many wet dogs all packed into one room. "Werewolves." I hissed and saw James's eyes widen.

Sirius froze as the wind changed, his eyes widened as well and we looked at each other. "They've sent us to a Werewolf sanctuary!" He whispered. "I can smell them..."

I nodded. "Let me go first..." I said softly. "They may be friendly...but they may not." I released Sirius and made to move past him, he grabbed my arm.

"Don't." He muttered.

"I'll be fine...I'm...I'm one of them." I said weakly, not really believing my own words. I took a shuddery breath and stepped past James, who put his hand on my shoulder. I nodded once and walked around the corner. I saw several of them, gathered on some steps outside a building with mouldy walls. On the door was a black scorch mark, like a huge full moon but with several deep gouges embedded into the heavy wood. As I stepped forward their heads went up and they went still, like hunting animals. I stopped where I stood and kept perfectly still myself, I took a breath and allowed my wolfish instincts to take over. I could feel the weird vibrations fill me, my senses heightened until I could see every single hair on their bodies and smell what they had eaten for breakfast. I watched them creep closer, their eyes as black as obsidian stones, I shivered slightly and closed my eyes as they began circling me. I could hear them sniffing, smelling the scent of Wizard on me.

"A cub..." One of them whispered, his voice was rough and hardly even recognisable as human. "This one stinks of human."

"Aye...Indeed he does. But he's a baby..." Another one replied, I heard him inhale deeply. "He smells like dog..."

I opened my eyes and found myself staring into two black pools. "I-I've come...to seek shelter." I said quietly.

They looked at each other, their heads cocked to one side. "You're seeking shelter? Then why do you stink of Human?"

"Because...I-I've lived with them. I'm in danger...Please, help me!"

They burst into laughter, harsh barks very similar to Sirius's. "He begs! The pup is begging us!"

"He should speak to the pack leader..."

"Yes, he should..."

"You should show him the way."

"Well, pup, follow me." The tallest one growled and grabbed my arm in a vice like grip. I winced slightly as claws dug into my skin through the robes.

"W-Wait!" I gasped. "I-I have friends!"

They stopped and looked back at me. "Friends?"

"Yes, they need help as well...Please..." I asked again and watched them frown.

"I can smell them...yes..."

"A dog..."

"A rat..."

"A stag..."

They looked at each other and grinned revealing elongated canines that were stained yellow. "Dinner!" they said in unison.

"Hey! Wait! N-No!" I gasped as I was dragged into the hall. "NO!" I struggled but they held me tightly. I was thrown roughly onto the straw, my side exploded in pain and I winced. When I next opened my eyes I saw James being dragged into the hall by his hair, he was thrown down at my side, his glasses slid off his face and smashed on the floor. I saw his eyes open and he squinted around, his fingers searching for his glasses, when he found them he swore as he realised the glass had broken. Peter followed and I heard a sudden, violent explosion and a shout.

"Get...your...filthy...claws...off...of...me!" Sirius was pulled bodily into the hall, he was kicking and lashing out with his fists. "Bastards!" He was thrown into a wall and he crumpled, clutching his side. I could smell his blood as it dripped from his split lip onto the floor. He lifted his head and snarled furiously at the Werewolves who had him cornered, I heard his growl and saw his hand move for his wand.

"Sirius!" I shouted, his head jerked around and I saw his eyes widen briefly before he dropped his hand. I sighed and pulled myself into a sitting position. Sirius wiped the blood from his lip furiously and glared at our captors.

"Pack leader will be pleased!" One of the werewolves said, he licked his lips as he watched Sirius pull himself upright and lean heavily against the wall.

"Pleased indeed...we found prey!"

They laughed and I shuddered. "Please...please don't eat them!" I said desperately. "They're my friends!"

"Friends he says...he claims to be friends with Wizards?"

"Strange creature he is." The tall one moved towards me on his hands and knees. His hand tangled in my hair and he yanked my head back roughly, I could feel his hot breath on my skin as he sniffed me. His tongue flicked out and he tasted me. I closed my eyes and bared my teeth. "He has spent too long in their company...he is young, we will have to re-train him..."

"No..." I gasped and reached up, my fingers closed around his wrists and I pulled him away from me. I climbed to my feet and drew my wand, I saw the fear in their eyes as I pointed it at his heart. "Listen to me!" I said clearly and forcefully. "We have come here because we were told that you could help us! The three sisters..."

"The weird sisters!" they gasped and looked at each other with fear in their eyes. "They sent you?"

"Yes!" I said firmly. "They told me you could give us shelter, we only need it for three days!"

They all looked at each other and I could see the silent debate. "We will have to ask Pack Leader..." the tall one muttered finally.

"Then do it!" I snapped, my patience was running thin and I felt the wolf, so close to the surface it was almost painful. I could smell the blood from Sirius and it was driving me mad. I licked my lips and my eyes slid to my friends who were watching me with wide eyes. "Go!" I snapped and one of the men darted off through a door. I allowed my wand to fall slightly and I sighed.

Later I sat in a huddle with my friends, my arms wrapped around my knees and my head bowed. I heard footsteps and looked up to see one of the Werewolves standing in front of me. "What is your name, little pup?"

"Remus Lupin..." I replied softly. "And you are?"

"Peter Stubb..." He replied and sat down before me, he had a mass of greying hair, his face was heavily lined and scarred and his beard was bushy. He scratched at his head a moment before turning to the others. "I apologise for my brethren, they're...a bit anti social..."

"No problem, I'm used to death threats." Sirius muttered darkly as he swept hair from his eyes.

I smiled weakly. "I can't exactly blame them...The persecution of Werewolves in this era boomed again with the persecution of Witches. Muggles associate one with the other."

"So, when are these trials?" Sirius asked.

"Tomorrow." Stubb replied with a shrug. "They've managed to capture several of our kind as well, Pack Leader said he would be going to oversee the executions..."

"But they might not be executed!" James said.

Stubb gave him a pitying look. "There's no doubt every single one of the people captured will be executed...and this time there will be no burnings, which Wizards can escape from."

"What will they do instead?" Wormtail asked nervously.

"No doubt the punishment will be harsh...The witch hunter who caught them is cruel. If I were to guess I'd say being skinned alive and put on the wheel."

I flinched as I imagined how awful it would be die that way, wandless and in unbearable agony. "That's awful..."

James looked horrified, his face was pale and he looked slightly ill. Sirius looked disgusted too. "I'm despised by my family because I believe in Muggle-Wizard relations...but when I hear of stuff like that I start thinking that maybe they have the right of it..."

"Don't say that Padfoot." James said in a shaky voice. "We all know there are good Muggles, just like there are bad Wizards..."

Sirius nodded his head slowly. "Yeah...I guess." He sighed heavily. "But still...all this hate...we don't really need it, do we?" We all agreed to that.

"The judge overseeing the charges is trying to get into Parliament so he needs a conviction, he's trying to make himself look good by; 'Protecting the people'." Stubb muttered, he stared around the hall where every now and again other Werewolves would walk past and eye us warily. "It's all the propaganda spread by the Puritans. It's rubbish really, trying to say that Magic is the work of the Devil and condemning anyone, from an actual Wizard or magical creature, to a muggle healer woman. We can't stop it so we've had to slip into hiding...hopefully it will calm down."

"It does." I said. "Mostly...The fear of Werewolves will never go away, we'll always be persecuted but Wizards go into hiding and do fine. The Muggles from where we come from don't have a clue about magic and its existence."

"Human's fear what they don't understand." James said as he sighed and leaned back against the wall. "It's a natural thing, but we should learn to accept the unknown...it's the only we can live together peacefully."

"Wow, mate, that's deep." Sirius said with a grin.

James returned it. "I learned that from Moony."

I chuckled softly. "Well, I'm glad I've been such a good influence..."

"You three are very strange." Stubb said as he eyed my friends. "You accept the puppy even though you know what he is?"

James nodded. "Of course we do!" He sounded shocked at the thought of rejecting me. "He's only a wolf during the full moon! It's not like he's an evil guy just because he's got a furry little problem!"

I laughed out loud at that, his dismissal of my condition always made me smile. "Yeah, I mean, we're his friends! We'd never abandon him! Plus, we learnt to turn into animals so we can ease his transformation...he keeps his mind when we're with him and we can be with him without having to worry about being bitten and contracting Lycanthropy." Sirius said.

"You really are very...odd." Stubb smiled. "It makes me glad to see one of our kind being treated so well, stay with him and make sure you keep him happy...too many of our kind suffer in the darkness, do not let him sink."

James slung his arm around me and grinned. "Nah, we couldn't let him get all depressed! We're always there to cheer him up." He ruffled my hair and I giggled as I tried to struggle out of his embrace.


	6. Chapter 5

_Authors note: Ok, it seems I am not getting reviews for this story! So, I may not release the next chapter and concentrate on my other fics. Sorry, but no one seems to like it. :(_

Chapter five

I was drowsing as I curled up between Sirius and James, my head resting in Sirius's lap. I was exhausted, as always after a full moon. Suddenly I was shaken awake and sat upright rubbing sleep from my eyes, I yawned widely and saw my friends all looking towards a pair of Werewolves. One was a slender woman wearing furs, her wild hair was a filthy blond and her eyes the most entrancing blue. The male, stood at her side, was also clad in fur. His hair was grey and long, his eyes were jet black as he eyed us suspiciously. He had broad shoulders and looked very powerful, but I also realised he was a Muggle, he had no magical talent. I stood slowly and my friends followed suit.

"Children." The man said as he looked at us. "Wizards too, by the looks of them."

The woman stepped forward and beckoned us closer, I moved forward carefully. "You there..." She said in a rough voice as she pointed at me. "Is this your pack?"

I nodded. "Y-Yes..."

"What an odd choice in Pack mates." The man said. "You wished to seek shelter within our sanctuary?"

"Yes sir...We only need to stay for a few days, please..."

"And what, may I ask, will you give us in return?" The man asked, his eyes narrowed.

I glanced back at James, Sirius and Peter before returning my eyes to the Pack Leaders. "Anything." I said firmly.

The couple turned to each other, their eyes meeting. Then the female looked at me. "In exchange for the safety of your friends, we desire only one thing."

"What might that be?" I asked nervously, I doubted it was going to be anything particularly beneficial to me or my friends.

"We have, for a while now, been at war with the Wizarding world...because of this our numbers are low, we border on extinction." The woman spoke firmly.

"We wish to swell our ranks." The man continued in the same calm and assertive voice.

"And how are we supposed to help with that?" James asked from behind me.

I looked around and saw a whole group of Werewolves slowly closing in on my friends. I returned my gaze to the Pack Leaders, my eyes wide with brutal terror. "No!" I cried.

"You wish for sanctuary?"

"Yes, but..."

"Then we must be able to use you in return. Take them!" The woman waved her arm and I spun around as Sirius was grabbed roughly from behind, his hair grabbed in a fist as he was dragged to his knees. James and Peter were taken in a similar manner. "The day moon rises." The woman said slowly, her eyes darkening.

"Soon, these boys will be in a den full of werewolves...there is no escape, little pup." The man walked to my side and I felt his hand on my shoulder, claws digging into my skin. I ignored the pain as my hand went for my wand.

"Ah!" Sirius cried out and my eyes snapped to him. One of the Werewolves had him pinned to the floor, his robes were torn revealing his pale skin and I could smell the almost overwhelming scent of blood. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as crimson spread across his chest, his black hair covered his eyes but I could see the taught line of his mouth.

"Sirius!" James cried as he struggled violently with his own captor who had him in a half nelson.

"Stop! Stop this...please!" I begged desperately. "Don't hurt them!"

The woman made a movement with her hand and the Werewolf pinning Sirius nodded once, he leaned down, his jaws opening. Sirius seemed too weak to move, his hands pressed uselessly into the man's chest and his breathing speeded up. I saw his wand a few meters away, somehow he'd been disarmed.

My mind went numb. I was held firmly by the pack leader, I didn't dare draw my wand in case they hurt someone else. I was stuck. Suddenly I was assaulted by a rapid series of horrible memories...

_I was playing in my street, rolling a ball across the ground and laughing happily as it rolled back towards me. It was getting dark and my mother stood in the doorway smiling, I looked up at her and smiled. Her face fell. I saw a shadow behind me, ringed in bright silver. The moon was full and I turned my head, the ball slipped from my fingers as I realised I was staring into a pair of black eyes. A long muzzle, surrounded by dried blood and dripping saliva was inches from my face and I hear a deep growl emanate from the massive grey wolf._

"_Remus!" My mother screamed as I felt agony tear through my body. I was flung, like a rag doll, across the empty street. I hit something solid and began screaming loudly as I saw my hands coated in blood, it hurt. I opened my eyes to see the wolf leaning over me, his jaws opened and clamped down on my arm. The bone shattered with an awful crunch. My mind swam..._

_I was bitten over and over until the pain finally receded into nothing as darkness claimed me._

I gasped as the memories hit me with such force I felt winded. I saw Sirius's arm fall to his side and he turned his head, his breathing was ragged and I could see crimson slowly spreading in a pool around his body. He was as white as Parchment and his hand shook violently as he reached for his wand. It only barely out of his reach and no matter how much he stretched his fingers he would never be able to get to it, the Pack Leader kept such a hold on me I couldn't move. He gripped my arms tightly and when he felt me move my wand he snatched it off of me and threw it to his mate. I felt his hot breath on my cheek as tears of helplessness sprung to my eyes. "Soon he will become a sacrifice to our noble cause, little pup. His life as a human is over...he will become one of us. Wouldn't that be good? Your friends will be with you in a way they never could have before."

I shuddered, I could not deny that I had thought of it before now. What would happen if I really did turn my friends? We would all be Werewolves, we could finally be a real pack. The bloodlust rose and I closed my eyes against the awful feelings the thought stirred within me. "No!" I muttered. "No! I don't...I don't want this! Please! Please stop this!"

"We can't." The man said in a grave voice. "The day moon demands a sacrifice, and these boys will do nicely...fresh blood, innocent blood...the blood of children. Now watch..."

He grabbed my jaw and I was forced to watch as the Werewolf bending over Sirius changed. I groaned in horror as the light from the window went odd, it became weaker somehow. The wolf went through an odd transformation, it sprouted ears, its face elongated and its hands turned into massive claws. It's teeth became razor sharp and a pair of ears sprouted on the top of its head.

Sirius seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness, James began trying to fight his captor off but to no avail and Peter began shaking in terror. "Leave him alone!" James shouted suddenly, the Wolves laughed, rough bark like noises that made me sick. "Sirius! Snap out of it! Fight! Damn it!" He kicked out at the Wolf holding him and caught his shin, the wolf howled in pain and his grip loosened. James ripped himself free but before he could get close, another wolf leapt into sight and pinned him down.

"It comes!" The she-wolf said and I felt it. Like being doused in cold water, it slipped through my body, weakening me until I could no longer hold myself up. The man holding me released me with a chuckle and I fell to my hands and knees. I began panting heavily as pain tore through me, my eyes widened and I arched my back letting a horrible scream leave my throat. I could feel the change, my body tearing itself to pieces and rearranging itself, only this time, it didn't last for as long it normally did. The pain receded and I noticed that I still kept my mind, I could think clearly! I looked down at my hands and saw the long, curved claws, I could feel the hair all over my body and I could feel my senses buzzing with the scent of blood. I licked my lips, feeling the sharp teeth there. My eyes landed on Sirius who lay still, his head turned to the side revealing his throat. I moved towards him, slowly and warily. When I was close the other wolf backed away, I found myself looking down into those silver eyes, his pupils were dilated and his lips pale from blood loss. He blinked sluggishly up at me.

"Now boy, take your prize!" My head jerked around and I growled at the Pack Leader softly as he approached. He smiled. "Can't you smell his blood? I assumed that he was the one you desired...? He is a fine specimen and will make a good addition to our family."I lowered my head and looked into those silver eyes again. I watched as he smiled slowly. "If you do not do it, I will kill you."

At that threat Sirius's eyes widened slightly, he winced as he lifted his arm with effort and grabbed my hair. He dragged me close and hissed into my ear. "Do...It..." His voice was weak and he released me, not even able to hold me for long. He closed his eyes and turned his face away, I could see him tense as he readied himself for my bite. He was doing it to save my life...

"Do it, child!"

"M-Moony..." James sounded terrified. He was obviously torn, if I didn't do it both Sirius and I would die, if I did Sirius would contract Lycanthropy.

I licked my lips again, the scent of blood almost overwhelming my senses. I leaned down, close enough to see Sirius's pulse racing. He didn't have much longer left, if I didn't do something soon he'd die anyway. Pain wrenched at my heart and I felt tears sting my eyes, they fell onto my friends white cheek and he opened his eyes slowly and turned his face to mine. He smiled. "Go on...it's better than watching you be torn to shreds." He croaked weakly. I watched as he lifted his arm with a wince of effort and held it up, I saw him wink.

I was lying on top of him, my arms planted firmly each side of his head and I blocked him from view of the other wolves. I suddenly saw black hair sprout across his forearm, and I realised what he was doing. I grinned weakly, revealing my teeth. James couldn't see us, he didn't understand what was happening as I leaned down and licked blood from the side of his face before growling softly. I made sure my body blocked him from view of everyone and he changed.


	7. Chapter 6

_**Authors note: Haha! And I'm back, from a very long break from this story! I apologise, I tried to make this an amusing story but...well...it didn't quite turn out as planned. It turns out I don't write funny. :/ Ah well, please tell me what you think, I am ever so grateful to the reviews I have so far! Thank you, from the very bottom of my heart. :)**_

Chapter six

It didn't take long, where once had been a boy beneath me there was now a rather large and terrifying looking black dog. He was panting and whining slightly, he was badly wounded but alive. A werewolf's bite would not affect him now.

James uttered a sudden gasp as he realised what had happened and I heard a scuffle. I turned my head and saw a huge stag stood where James had once been, he was driving off the wolf with his head lowered so his antlers protected him. Wormtail sighed with relief before morphing his own shape. Soon we were all animals. James stood at my side, as we protected Sirius with our bodies.

Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

We were together once again and I growled, a low and dangerous threat as the pack leader moved towards us. James lowered his head and pawed the ground, Peter scuttled over to us, dodging the odd swipe from a claw before settling down on Padfoot's body.

"It seems that you are all very devoted to each other." The pack leader growled as he drew closer. "However, even in the form of an animal your friend will not last much longer..."

I glanced down and saw Sirius's sides heaving, his eyes were half closed, revealing the whites. I felt a shiver of fear. His soft whimpers making my ears flatten against my head. I was confused, the scent of Sirius's blood was familiar and it sent me into an odd half animal state and slowly my thoughts became strange...they were disconnected.

James suddenly lowered his head, antlers aimed at the pack leader who stood before us, half transformed from the light of the day moon. "You cannot win. We will..."

An explosion cut him off. There were horrendous screams as Werewolves were thrown across the floor boards, crashing into walls. I flinched slightly and felt myself blown off my feet. Before darkness claimed me I saw Sirius's body return to his human form...

My eyes flickered open slowly, I groaned and rolled onto my side. My body ached and I was shivering with cold. It took a moment for my eyes readjust to the dim light but when they did I found myself lying on a cold, damp stone floor. The walls were roughly hewn blocks. I looked around as I struggled into a kneeling position, there were heavy bars across the mouth of my little prison. My eyes widened and I moved closer to them, my fingers wrapping tightly around the freezing metal so I could gaze out at a long corridor. I shivered, ice filled my veins and I closed my eyes briefly.

"Moony?"

James's weak voice made me open my eyes and I saw him in the cell directly opposite mine. "James! What happened?"

I heard a clink as he moved forward and saw that he had heavy manacles on his wrists and one on his ankle, he smiled slightly. "They caught us." He began. "They must have spotted us and followed us into the werewolf sanctuary...and now I guess we're in some kind of prison." He shrugged slightly, but I could see a deep darkness in his eyes.

"Who?" I whispered.

"The Ministry." James ran fingers through his hair, his breath plumed from his lips and he winced. "I-I don't know what happened to Sirius...They took him away before stunning me. Shit! We should have been more careful!"

I shivered violently in the badly made robes. "Why's it so cold in here?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Dementors." James whispered, he wrapped his arms around his knees and stared off into a corner, his eyes dark and slightly haunted.

My eyes widened slightly. "D-dementors?" I repeated. James nodded and closed his eyes.

"They patrol every half hour or so...and if we try to escape they'll be waiting...outside..." He gritted his teeth. "Damn it!"

"What's going to happen to us?" I asked, afraid of the answer. I could feel the despair as it leaked through the walls of our prison.

It seemed to be affecting James too as he covered his head with his arms in a poor attempt to hide from it. "I don't know! I don't know! Remus...I'm sorry...I've got us all killed!"

I couldn't say anything to that so I slumped down against the bars and stared despondently down the corridor. Suddenly the cold became worse. I could see the flames in the lamps flickering violently as a door at the far end of the corridor opened slowly. I groaned and moved away from the cell door. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and gritted my teeth. I had to try and fight the upsurge of fear and despair...but...there was no hope.

We were alone, in a strange world...in a strange time...no one could save us. No one would even know what happened...or be able to explain to our parents how or why we'd died. I could hear an awful rattling breath and choked on my breath as the Dementor glided up towards us. I heard James's sharp intake of breath but he couldn't hear the things I could...he wasn't driven back into the past...I could feel the agony of the wolf's claws, the teeth as they pierced my body...I screamed. I could hear my mother's desperate sobbing as I lay in the hospital bed, I could see my father's guilt ridden face. I knew...long before they had told me...My mother had left shortly after that, blaming my father for my condition. She had returned but she was never the same. I was plunged into memories of meeting people who, when they learned of my condition, would give me a look mixed with fear and disgust...

I woke up feeling as if I had just run a marathon. My body shook violently as I pulled myself to my knees again.

"Remus? Are you alright?" James hissed through the darkness.

"Y-Yeah..." I gasped, trying to still my shaking hands. "I-I...What happened?"

"The Dementor...It was stood outside your cell for a long time..." James sighed heavily. "We're never going to get out of here."

"Where's Peter?" I asked quietly, still feeling too weak, I could hardly even move.

"Somewhere around here, I'm sure...but they've got us bound up in these bloody chains...I-I can't break free...and I can't transform! They even took our wands!"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "I...I'm sorry..." I whispered.

"Not your fault, Remus." James fell silent and I followed suit, there was little more we could say to each other.

I slipped to the floor and curled in on myself. As the night wore on I could feel Dementors patrolling regularly, each time I felt that awful draining wrench on my soul...and each time I got weaker.

Finally after an unknowable amount of time the silence was shattered. There was a scream the likes of which I had never heard before, James was up, his chains clanking as he grabbed the bars of his cell. We both looked down the corridor at the door but little more than that could be done. The screams got louder, and I realised with a sickening jolt it was Sirius. "They're torturing him!" James gasped, he turned to me with a white face. There was nothing we could do except listen to Sirius's screams. After a while there was a long moment of silence before we heard, through the wooden door, a voice.

"Now...are you going to change your ways?" It was Cepheus. I could faintly hear ragged breathing. My fingers gripped the bars so tightly my knuckles were white, James seemed unable to tear his gaze from the door. "I cannot believe that such a filthy, disgusting, bloodtraitor could have been born into our family! No matter how far into the future..." Sirius screamed again, it ripped through my soul like a knife and I closed my eyes tightly and tried to cover my ears. But it was useless...

"I-I'm sorry!" Sirius's voice reached us and my eyes flew open, James met my horrified gaze. "P-Please...N-No more...I-I'm sorry..._M-Mother_...No! No more! I'm beggi..." there was a sharp slap and silence fell. We could hear Sirius gasping slightly and the sound of footsteps as if someone beyond the door was pacing.

"You, and people like you, are the shame of our proud name! Do you understand?"

Sirius groaned, a half sob escaping him. "Y-Yes..." He muttered, his voice barely audible through the wood of the door.

"You disgust me! That such filth could be spawned from such pure lineage is...disgraceful! I never would have thought it..." there was a brief pause before Sirius let out another scream that echoed through my head long after it had finished. "Now, I may be willing to forgive you...if you change your bloodtraitor ways..."

"Nnn..." Sirius's voice was growing fainter, he seemed to gasp something but there another ringing slap and he fell silent.

"I think another few hours with the Dementors will do...throw him in the cell!"

James and I scrambled back from the cell doors as once again the place was flooded with freezing cold. Ice chilled my heart and began muttering under my breath, my arms covering my head as the Dementor reached my cell... "No..." I groaned and opened my eyes unwillingly. I saw the great big cloaked thing as it opened the cell door and threw something that resembled a rag doll in with me. It paused and I could hear its rattling breaths before it closed the door with a clang and moved away. Once the place had warmed up slightly I took a shuddery breath and turned to what I took to be a heap of robes lying beside me, but when I drew closer I realised it was Sirius. "Sirius!" I gasped and heard James's question.

"Is he alright?"

I leaned over my friend and rolled him onto his back, he was unconscious. I could see a long cut down the side of his face, his robes had been torn and his wounds from the Werewolf attack had been healed...but many more had replaced it. He shuddered and I drew him into my arms, automatically seeking to comfort him. I closed my eyes. "Sirius..." he twitched slightly and groaned. "Sirius...wake up."

I watched his eyes flicker and slowly they opened. He blinked in the half light and his tongue darted out to lick his bloodied lips. "Mmmooony..." he muttered. I could see the evidence of torture covering his body and yet he still had that amazing grin on his face, even if it lacked his usual vigour. "Whassup?" He tried to sit up but I held him still, a gentle hand on his chest. He winced and groaned as pain obviously tore through him. "F-feel like...I've done ten rounds with a...Manticore..." he gasped, gently pushing my hand aside and forcing himself into a sitting position. He threw his head back and gritted his teeth once he had got himself into a sitting position, I tried to go to him but he pushed me away. "Nn...No..." he gasped, his eyes glazing with pain. "'M fine...Moons."

"But you're not!" I insisted.

"Don't!" he snapped suddenly, making my eyes widen. "Don't...touch me...'M fine."

"What happened? What did he do to you?" James asked desperately.

Sirius's eyes fell closed and his face crumpled. He lowered his head so hair fell into his eyes. "Nothing." He said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Nothing I can't handle."

"He was _torturing_ you!" James said from across the hall.

Sirius slowly curled in on himself, his arms covering his head. "No! No...No its fine. Nothing...happened!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" James said incredulously.

"James." I said sharply. There was something wrong with Sirius...his whole body was shaking violently and he had his face hidden from me. "Just...just be quiet." His faint sobs were quite loud as they echoed off the walls. I watched my friend break down, crying. Sirius never cried. I was glued to the spot in shock. I lifted my hand out to him but he flinched away so violently I withdrew it.

"A-always...The same thing..." He gasped. "I-I can't...do this...anymore..."

I heard James shift. I stayed silent, not having any idea how to comfort him. "It's alright..." I began but he looked up at me, his face screwed up with fury, pain and grief.

"What do you know?" He hissed. Blood trickled down the side of his face and I drew away from him on impulse, he looked deranged. "You don't know what I have to put up with at home! You don't understand what that woman does to me! She..." He stopped and shook his head quickly. A wet chuckle escaped him, but it lacked humour. "Every time! Every damn time! Nothing will ever change...It's always the same..." he suddenly drew up his sleeve and I gasped as I saw words carved into his arm, words that still bled sluggishly. "Bloodtraitor!" he muttered furiously. "A permanent reminder of what I am...of my betrayal! They may as well have carved it into my soul!"

"Sirius...I-I..." I had no idea what to say. Words seemed empty somehow. I understood how he felt, who better to understand the hatred of others than a Werewolf?

With a violent shudder he leaned against the wall, his breathing was still shaky and I could smell the blood. "We're all going to die here." He whispered softly. I watched his eyes close as he slipped down the wall. "And I for one...welcome it."

James was silent, but I could almost hear him thinking desperately. But I knew it was useless. I knew we would all meet our end at the trials...and we would die horribly and painfully. I moved to the opposite wall and sat down, staring off into darkness.

No one considered it odd how there was no noise from Peter...not one of us found it strange that he hadn't spoken a word. And so, we had no idea that the Ministry were missing one prisoner.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Authors note: Hi, back again! I may only be writing this for one person but that doesn't make me any less grateful for your support! Thank you! I'm sorry if this has turned dark...I can't help it! So, major foreshadowing in this one! Hahaha. I like to mess around, seeing as I know the future of these characters, we can really screw with them! XD Please enjoy!**_

Chapter seven.

We must have fallen asleep because when I next opened my eyes it was to find myself curled up in a dark corner. It was impossible to tell the time of day, without windows it was dark and still very cold. I managed to drag myself into a sitting position and stare sleepily around, I could see Sirius lying against the opposite wall, he seemed to be suffering from a horrible nightmare as I could see his face twisted in anguish. I shuddered, knowing that the Dementors would affect those of us who had dark pasts. James would not have been as affected as us, his upbringing was happy and filled with love. Everyone knew that Sirius's upbringing had been less than happy, but we were only now learning the full scale of what went on behind the closed doors of his house.

I managed to drag myself over to Sirius's shaking form and gently stroked hair from his face, I wasn't expecting his violent reaction. My hand was grabbed in a vice like grip, his eyes flew open and he stared up at me with glazed eyes, his pupils dilated in terror. He sat bolt upright with a soft gasp and moved away from me, obviously still not comprehending who I really was. "Sirius...it's me..." I croaked, realising just how thirsty I was.

The boy before me hardly looked recognisable. His hair was lank, dangling around his white face like a curtain. His hands shook violently and he was freezing cold. His robes were tattered, dirt smudged the side of his face, mingling with the blood there. His nails, too, were stained crimson, as if he'd been scratching at the wall...I could see several broken nails. A second later and I watched his body relax, his eyes dimmed until they were little more than two virtually black pools. "Moony." He muttered roughly, his voice cracked and broken from all his screaming. "Only...you..." he sighed and fell back against the wall, his eyes half closed and he stared at nothing.

"You guys awake?" James asked from across the corridor.

"Yeah...how are you?" I asked slowly, my eyes never leaving the awful sight of my friend. Sirius was in worse shape than any of us, and I felt a sudden jolt of terror that we'd lose him.

"As well as I can be with so little sleep...the nightmares..." James's voice trailed away.

"We need to get out of here." I said suddenly. "There's something wrong with Sirius..."

"What? What is it?" I could hear James struggling to the front of his cell.

"I-I don't...I don't know! But he's not responding to me very well..." I shook my friend gently but he simply sat there, staring into the distance with those terrible blank eyes. It was as if the Dementors had already sucked out his soul. "Sirius! Hey...come on...s-snap out of it..."

"Is he al..." James's voice was cut off by the door creaking open. I froze, one hand on Sirius's shoulder, as ice began to sink into me. "Shit..." James hissed and I heard him drawing away from the bars on his cell.

Footsteps could be heard as someone walked down the tunnel. I turned slowly, hearing that dread rattle and saw several Dementors hovering outside my cell, flanking a man who seemed to be surrounded by an odd, silvery light...it was a minute before I realised it was a patronus. A massive serpent coiled around his body, as if he was cloaked in it. He smiled. "Well, well...isn't this a lovely sign of devotion...a Werewolf comforting a blood traitor..." His sneer was obvious. "I wish to speak with all of you today." He stepped back as the cell doors opened. The Dementors glided towards us, their hands reaching, I recoiled but couldn't fight the waves of intense dizziness as they took those slow breaths. I felt my body go weak as I was dragged up, away from Sirius. In my head I could hear my mother's screams as she witnessed the attack on me...I groaned and they overcame me...

My eyes fluttered open revealing a small, dingy little room. A single candle hovered above a scarred wooden table. I tried to move but realised I was tied down. Beside me James sat, head bowed and his breathing shaky. I saw Sirius's limp form lying like a discarded doll in a corner. In the background I could faintly hear music playing, I groaned heavily and let my head fall back against the wall. I hardly had enough strength to move, but I tried and discovered my wrists were bound so tightly with scratchy rope that it was painful. I stared up at the ceiling feeling as if I was already wearing the executioner's hood...and soon I would feel the sharp, cold metal press against the back of my neck. I shivered violently. "We're all going to die." I muttered sluggishly to myself. I had no idea what it was like in Azkaban but I knew it would be something like this, trapped, surrounded by misery...forced to listen to the screams of the dying and the insane. I closed my eyes, trying to banish those kinds of thoughts...but it was almost useless. I slowly reopened my eyes and saw Sirius dragging himself up, he was the only one of us unbound, which made me frown. My friend lifted his head revealing his face, the scratches and remnants of his torture were too obvious against his white skin.

"Moony..." he muttered and crawled to my side, he sat down and looked down at my bound wrists, I watched his shaking fingers as he tried to undo the knot. "Shit!" He swore and frowned darkly. He seemed to be slowly coming back to himself and I felt a bit of relief sweep away some of the cold. Sirius began searching the area, his silver eyes narrowed. Then he spotted something, a small glass container sat up on a shelf. He grinned weakly and stood, I could see his whole body wracked with shivers as he climbed onto the single chair and reached for the glass phial. When he had it he stepped down and smashed it on the table, with shaking fingers he picked up a sharp shard and knelt back at my side. He frowned as he began trying to slice through the ropes, as I had my back to him I was unable to see what he was doing but every so often he would cut me and apologise softly. "Ah!" his elated voice and the sudden release of pressure on my wrists made me gasp. I moved my aching arms to the front of my body and began rubbing my wrists, in an attempt to get the feeling back into them. I watched as Sirius sliced through James's bonds as well. When he was done he turned to us both, panting slightly. I saw crimson staining his fingers.

"Sirius!" I gasped and moved to him. "What...?"

He gazed down at his lacerated palms almost as if he hadn't noticed. "Oh..." he muttered. "It's nothing..." He looked away, absently wiping his own blood off onto his robes. "Let's just concentrate on getting you out of here..." His eyes moved around and I noticed he was acting strangely, he was jumpy. His eyes moving too rapidly from one thing to another, he was shaky and nervous. I could see a shadow in his eyes, a shadow that scared me... "Ah...we'll have to..." he twitched and turned to the door. "He's coming back! Can you hear..." his eyes turned to mine briefly before flicking away. "Gotta get you out..."

James watched him with the same wariness I did. "Sirius?" Our friend ignored him, continuing to flit around the room, searching ever more desperately for an escape.

"No...no...not here. Where...? Must be one...every place has one...not here..." he muttered to himself, an odd constant stream of chatter, his hands finding small cracks in the stone walls. "I-I saw it...they came in...somewhere...I opened my eyes and saw it...because they have to have more exits...Slytherin's think of escape routs...they must..."

"Sirius!" James snapped again, making the boy twitch and turn to him slightly. The candle light flickered off his face. "What are you doing?"

"Looking." He muttered and turned his back again. "There's always one somewhere. My father has one...in the study...He likes to go and avoid Muggles so he uses it sometimes...but mostly it's for escaping. You know, in case of _them_."

James and I shared a worried look with each other. "Er...Sirius...what are you talking about? Who are 'them'?"

Sirius froze. I was sure that if had been in Dog form his hackles would have been up. "Them? The ministry of course..." He hissed softly, looking at us over his shoulder. "There are things...certain...objects that we don't speak of. Things that...could get us into trouble...so...we have ways to get away...in case we're...Oh!" He spun on his heels and stared wide eyed up at an apparently blank wall. He reached out and smoothed his trembling hands over the surface of the wall, before suddenly letting out a strange little giggle. "This is it! I knew it! Slytherin to the bone...every single one of them!" He turned to us with a grin that made me shudder, he looked slightly mad. "I told you! I told you there would be one!" He turned back to the wall and pressed his bloodied palms against it, his eyes closed. I watched in fascination as the wall disappeared. "Needed a sacrifice..." he gasped as he barely caught his balance by grabbing the wall.

"S-Sacrifice?" I muttered.

"Yeah...blood." He said, staring at me with eyes that glittered disturbingly. "Or...the blood of a family member." His smile resurfaced once again and he giggled. "Come on..." He beckoned us and we stood nervously, I took one last glance over my shoulder and moved towards the black tunnel. I could see the beginnings of steep steps.

"Wait! We need our wands!" James hissed softly, he had one foot on the first stair.

"Oh...yeah..." Sirius frowned and turned to the table, then I saw it, a box holding our wands. I frowned. "Here! Look, they left them with us!" he held mine out to me and I took it nervously, I felt its familiar warmth and sighed slightly, I had expected a trap. "Lumos." Sirius muttered absently, holding his wand aloft as he gazed down into the tunnel. "Dark down there..." He muttered softly. "Just like _that_ room..." He hummed as he stepped forward.

James and I shared another fearful glance. Something was seriously wrong with him...it was as if he'd gone insane. It was dark, I could feel the damp creeping into my bones as we walked. The further down we went the colder and more oppressive it became, somewhere, far off, I could hear a steady dripping noise...like water falling into a lake. The silence was overbearing, the only sound was that of our breaths and Sirius's soft humming...I frowned slightly as I recognised the tune to an old nursery rhyme. I had no idea what had happened to my friend but I was terrified that the change would be permanent...I despised the idea of having to visit him in St. Mungos. After a while I realised that his voice shook ever so slightly, he was terrified! So, the humming was a comfort thing...? My dread closed in around me as surely as the awful cold.

Finally we reached a level area, the steps ended and I could smell the hint of fresh air. It almost made my mouth water...I squinted into the darkness as something glittered up ahead. "Psst..." I hissed. "James...do you see...?"

"Something...yeah." James replied, I could feel him drawing closer to me on instinct. His wand rose, so it pointed down the dark tunnel. Sirius walked on a little ahead, his footsteps echoing in the darkness. As we drew nearer I realised it was a soft light ahead, an odd shimmering light...

After a moment, the sound of gentle, sing song voices reached my ears...

_Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd._

_Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd._

_Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time!_

I felt a lump in my throat as fear constricted my chest. I looked at James who shrugged slightly, the words were somehow familiar to me...but I couldn't quite think from where I'd heard them...

_In the poison'd entrails throw.—__  
>Toad, that under cold stone,<em>_  
>Days and nights has thirty-one;<em>_  
>Swelter'd venom sleeping got,<em>_  
>Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!<em>

I suddenly heard James stifle a giggle, I was surprised that he could still laugh, even under such circumstances. Sirius had stopped somewhere up ahead, his wand dangled loosely by his side as he seemed to be staring at something beyond our sights. James and I moved closer, warily, our wands up and pointing down the corridor. Then, the light spilled forth and we found ourselves staring into a small, closed off chamber. A massive cauldron sat bubbling in the centre and three figures stood around it, stirring the contents slowly. Each one sang softly, it was haunting, but oddly disturbing...

"Double, double toil and trouble;  
>Fire burn, and caldron bubble.<p>

Fillet of a fenny snake,  
>In the caldron boil and bake;<br>Eye of newt, and toe of frog,  
>Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,<br>Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,  
>Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—<br>For a charm of powerful trouble,  
>Like a hell-broth boil and bubble<p>

Double, double toil and trouble;  
>Fire burn, and caldron bubble.<p>

Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;  
>Witches' mummy; maw and gulf<br>Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;  
>Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark;<br>Liver of blaspheming Jew;  
>Gall of goat, and slips of yew<br>Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;  
>Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;<br>Finger of birth-strangled babe  
>Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,—<br>Make the gruel thick and slab:  
>Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,<br>For the ingredients of our caldron.

Double, double toil and trouble;  
>Fire burn, and caldron bubble.<p>

Cool it with a baboon's blood,  
>Then the charm is firm and good..."<p>

One of the three figures looked up and I realised, with a jolt, that we knew them! The three weird sisters smiled at us from across the shimmering surface of their potion...it wasn't one I recognised. The youngest slowly lifted her hand and beckoned, I watched as Sirius stumbled forward. "You did well, little puppy..." She whispered, her hand stroking his hair gently. As she turned him around I saw how blank his eyes were, they stared into space as if he'd had the Imperious curse placed upon him. His face was slack and empty, but none of the witches had shown any sign of casting a spell...none of them even had wands! The young one smiled at us. "You did not heed our warnings, little ones." She said.

"We did..." James was cut off by a loud cackle.

"No, you got yourselves in trouble..." The eldest croaked.

"You allowed yourselves to be captured...if it wasn't for your wormy little friend we would have been unaware of your danger...and so would have been unable to help you. With the rats help we have been able to locate you and he even procured some of this one's blood for our control spell..." She indicated Sirius.

"Wait...I thought Wormtail was with us..." James frowned.

"Oh no, he escaped...it seems he has a knack for such things..." The eldest moved aside revealing wormtail who smiled at us. I felt a great rush of gratitude for my friend and felt myself smile. "It seems that this one..." She took a handful of Sirius's long hair in her gnarled old fingers and chuckled as she ran them through it. "...has a strong heart. He was difficult to control..."

"Did you Imperious him?" James asked, a slight note of disgust in his tone.

The youngest laughed, like the sound of so many small silver bells. "No, we do not need to resort to such crass measures." Her smile was wicked. "His screams called us to him...He gave himself up to us, all to help you...my little friends." She held him possessively, her long nailed fingers digging into his partly exposed chest.

"Wha...what are you?" James whispered, his wand rising slowly.

"We are like you. Witches, born of the same womb on a night with no moon." The eldest cackled. She stepped closer, her footsteps loud over the gentle bubbling of the contents of the cauldron.

"But we are unlike you...who do not know the true powers you possess...there must be laws, to prevent one rising above all others..." The second eldest spoke softly. "Our magic is as ancient as the earth, as strong as the bond between lovers...as dark as the starless night..."

"We three possess the knowledge of all." The youngest murmured, her lips curling into a small smile.

"We are the ones the Muggles fear..."

"We are the ones they turn to for help..."

"The beginning and the end..."

James turned to me with an eyebrow raised. I could almost see him struggling not to laugh. I too could feel that almost irresistible urge to burst into crazed hysterics. It was as if we had been plunged into some Muggle child's fairy tale. "Look...we're grateful for your help, but...all we want is to go home! Please..." I said slowly.

"Of course, all in good time, child." The youngest released Sirius and I watched his eyes roll up into his head and he collapsed to the stone floor. I made to move forward... "Stop!" the youngest muttered. "He is well, but he has been trapped for too long in the dark. Tortured...abused...shut away from the light. Neglected...starved of love..." She knelt at his side and her fingers tangled gently in his lank hair. His face was so white I was terrified that he'd died. "He has been unable to escape for so long that he almost accepted his fate...all the tears and terror have stained his young soul and damaged it almost beyond repair. Ah, such a sad fate for one so young..." Her gentle voice was filled with grief, which I found odd. "And his time will come...a time when he is forced to make decisions that will shatter him. He will scream for murder...for revenge...but alas, he will not have it."

"Sad fates for all the young ones." The ancient crone said, her eyes landed on James who looked confused. "Sometimes I curse this third eye of mine..."

"Um...what is this...?" James began slowly.

"You, all of you, have great destinies. Your fates are weaved intricately into the very fabric of nature itself...your roles will be far from minor..." the young one smiled. "We can see your futures so clearly, it is like gazing into a perfectly still pond and gazing into your own reflection. We have studied the passing of time, watched you grow, watched you all succumb to the impossible fates that bind you."

The potion gave of several sparks and the woman turned. Sirius lay still, looking slightly forlorn. One woman beckoned us closer and I followed James reluctantly. "Look...look and see a fragment of the future..." Almost against my will I looked down into the silvery depths of the cauldron...

At first I could see nothing but then James gasped. Vaguely, as if I was seeing something through a strange fog, images appeared.

A crimson stone in the palm of a small hand...

...A dark cupboard...

I risked a glance at James but he was hooked, his eyes were large as he looked into the future. His mouth hung open slightly, as if not quite able to believe what was happening.

I looked again...

A pair of glasses sat on a bedside cabinet, they were rounded, similar to James's but not his...

...A massive serpent, rearing up, it's eyes little more than two bloody sockets...

A glittering silver sword with rubies embedded in the hilt...

...a veritable cloud of Dementors...

A great shining white light...

I squinted slightly, sure that I could make out a figure lying at the side of a lake...an oddly familiar lake...but before I could make sense of it the scene faded...

A werewolf howling at the full moon...

I spotted a flash of green, briefly the colour condensed into a pair of familiar eyes before fading...

...an odd shape flying or hovering in the sky above Hogwarts which silhouette I could make out clearly...it looked like a Hippogriff...

The scenes faded briefly before coming back, a few flitted past almost too quickly to see, I caught brief snatches of colour, gold, green and red...then it stopped...

I saw a dark graveyard...all the hairs on my body stood on end for some unknown reason...Something was moving towards us through the dense mist...I made out the shape of a hunched human, dragging something heavy...

Then I saw a goblet lit with flames and my eyes widened before it, too, faded...

...I saw an odd corridor, as clear as day...a door at the end that swung open...

Towers upon towers of shining silver light...

I caught a snatch of an image of a man...a man I felt I knew...he fell into darkness and as I watched I felt an odd emptiness engulf me...

I almost drew away until I saw a familiar tower, illuminated in green...a tiny figure falling...

I saw dark clouds swirling above Hogwarts, dread clenched at my chest as I saw a snow covered grave yard...figures stood in the snow, a woman and a man...I frowned, not recognising them...the man seemed to be crying...the marble stone they stood before was obscured in darkness...

I leaned closer as I saw the potion begin bubbling. In the very depths of it I could see someone...a boy? I leaned closer, squinting...a boy with messy, jet black hair...a boy who had his back to us...it was as if he was walking away...I knew, instinctively that this wasn't James...

It was James who pulled me out of the odd trance. His sudden gasp and the fact that he threw himself away from the potion, his hazel eyes wide with what could have been fear. "Wha...What was that?" He muttered.

"_That_ is your legacy..." The crone said, her claw like hands reaching for James's face, he flinched away from her touch. "That is the future...but not yours...oh no, your fate is different."


End file.
